


Ashes

by StarAndMoon (TheDarkestStar)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-04
Updated: 2013-12-04
Packaged: 2018-01-03 10:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1069392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkestStar/pseuds/StarAndMoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You can tell many things about a person by the art they chose to surround themselves with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ashes

Not to say Hermione didn’t like art, but she was not the most dedicated fan of Hogwarts paintings. On most occasions, she considered them to be rather rude and unhelpful. Nonetheless, she knew them all by heart. “Hogwarts: a History” provided her with everything she wanted to know about them: the biographies of the people on the portraits, curious accidents during restorations, even fun trivia (which she had to enjoy by herself as Harry and Ron weren’t intrigued enough even by her loud laughing to ask what was she reading about).

That’s why she was surprised to discover a new painting in the Headmaster’s office after the War.

“I’ve never seen it before, Harry, do you think it’s Professor Snape’s?”

“What? Harry glimpsed at the painting. “No. I’ve seen it here before… It’s strange, I’ve never paid attention to it. I know it was there, all those years, just… in the corner of my eye. Dumbledore never talked about it.”

“Well… Do you remember if someone was there?”

“What do you mean?”

“Look! It’s empty!”

Harry came closer. What looked from a distance like a silhouette of a person turned out to be just a cloud of smoke.

“Weird. All this time, I thought it was a painting of a man.” Harry touched the fog with his finger.

“Well, do you think he’ll come back while we’re here?” Hermione looked around the room. Headmistress Mcgonagall had asked them to stop by the office and collect Dumbledore’s belongings they found themselves to be interested in; and she had not taken “no” for an answer. (“Snape didn’t even touch his things! And I am not going to be the one to throw away even a broken quill as long as it belonged to Albus.”)

“I suppose he might. If he was ever there.”

“What, are you saying this is a finished painting? Oh, Harry…” a smile appeared in the corners of Hermione’s lips.

“It doesn’t _look_ finished, does it?”

“It looks as though… I don’t know how to explain it.” Hermione rubbed her eyes. “As though someone has just left abruptly, but soon will come back. That we just have to wait. I… don’t understand why Professor Dumbledore would have such a thing in his office.”

“I don’t know, Hermione, maybe that was the point? Maybe it was meant to remind him, that… not all the things we lost will come back to us.”

“But then why…”

“Because… well, what if they will?”

***

…It is still there, on Harry’s kitchen wall. After all these years. Not many pay attention to it, though some would stay next to it for some time, then leave with a sense of unease which haunts them for days to come. Most of them don’t visit the Potters afterwards.

Sometimes Hermione reminds Harry that it might just be in need of restoration. “Art is very complex magic, Harry. Some paintings get broken without any visible damage to the canvas!”

But Harry only laughs it off. “Oh, come on, Hermione. Maybe that’s why I like it so much.”


End file.
